BIOCHEMICAL FOLATE, B-12, AND IRON STATUS OF A GROUP OF PREGNANT ADOLESCENTS ACCESSED THROUGH THE PUBLIC-HEALTH SYSTEM IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO

Purpose: This study was designed to estimate the prevalence of biochem ical iron, folate, and vitamin B-12 depletion among a group of Canadia n pregnant adolescents accessed through the Public Health system. Furt her, the impact of prenatal supplement use, chronologic age, gynecolog ic age, living arrangement, main source of income, postpartum custody plan, time of entry into prenatal care, and cigarette smoking on labor atory indices of the three nutrients were determined. Methods: Fifty-e ight adolescents (14.5-19.0 years) were interviewed and blood samples were collected at 36 +/- 2 wk gestation. Results: Thirteen (22%) of th e pregnant adolescents had anemia (hemoglobin < 110g/L) and forty-five (78%) had depleted iron stores (plasma ferritin < 26.6 pmol/L or 12.0 ug/L). Trventy-five subjects had plasma B-12 values in the sub-optima l range (< 148 pmol/L). Five of the 16 adolescents who infrequently or never consumed a folate-containing supplement had suboptimal erythroc yte folate values. Twenty-four percent of the subjects had hypersegmen ted neutrophils and of these, all and 71% of subjects had plasma ferri tin and B-12 concentrations in the suboptimal range, respectively. Sel f-reported folic acid and B-12 supplement intakes were correlated with the corresponding blood values for these nutrients. In contrast, supp lement iron use was only weakly, or not at all associated with biochem ical indices of iron status. Conclusions: Data from the present study indicate that plasma B-12 and ferritin levels are low in a group of pr egnant adolescents. These low values appear to be associated with a hi gh prevalence of hypersegmented neutrophils. Prenatal supplement use a ppears to reduce the risk of low folate and B-12 blood values but not biochemical iron status.